The value of a switch hitter in baseball is great, but what about the value of a switch pitcher. Imagine a pitcher that can throw to hitters on either side of the dish. That's what the Staten Island Yankees have in Pat Venditte, a 22 year-old switch pitcher. Venditte was drafted by the Yankees in 2007 and again 2008 after he returned to Creighton University for his senior year. Venditte's first minor league appearance......

THEATER: With his zany imagination and distinctive bass-baritone voice, Joseph Keckler (myspace) has been generating buzz throughout the gooey honeycomb of the downtown performance art cabaret scene. Tonight he sprinkles his particular blend of whimsical catnip at Dixon Place with Cat Lady, in which a man re-enacts an ordinary day with his mother, who runs a community theater with cat actors out of her home. “Past lives are recalled, songs are sung, and finally a......

The season series between the Mets and Yankees may be over, but the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees are just getting started. The two Class A Short-Season affiliates of the Mets and Yankees open their seasons today at Keyspan Park in Coney Island. While both teams were in the New York-Penn League playoffs last year, the Yankees had the best regular season record and they won the league championship last. The two......

- Thing you've got bocce balls? Then you should test your stuff this weekend at the 12th Annual Citywide Bocce Tournament. Over 200 bocce enthusiasts from around the New York City area will compete Saturday and Sunday to see who's got the best. The tournament is free and open to adults of all ages. The prelims are in four of the five boroughs (sorry Manhattanites) with the finals to be played Sunday in Pelham......

He didn't shine as brightly as he has in other matches, but Roger Federer took care of James Blake in four sets Thursday. The world No. 1 and two-time defending champ sprayed his forehand on big shots, but he held off Blake and the crowd. His tennis hasn't shined during the fortnight, but with his nemesis Rafael Nadal out of the draw, it's easily Federer's tournament to lose. As for Blake, he still doesn't have......

- Marlins 4, Mets 1: Pedro Martinez was strong in his 2nd start since coming off the disabled list, but the Mets offense was unable to offer him much run support off of Dontrelle Willis and the Marlins. Pedro pitched six innings and only allowed four hits and one run. The Marlins ended a 1-1 tie in the 8th inning with Miguel Cabrera's bases clearing triple. While the Mets may have lost against the......

- Yankees 5, Cyclones 2: The Staten Island Yankees beat the Cyclones for the 3rd game in a row to open the season. The game, played at Keyspan Park, was much closer than Tuesday's 18-0 shutout by the Yankees. On the plus side, the Cyclones did score their first runs at home all season. - Mets 6, Reds 2: Pedro Martinez pitched a 2-hitter but allowed 5 walks in his 7th win of the......

Holy home run. Or is that holy Star Jones-style chutzpah? A couple has managed to land about $80,000 worth of sponsorships for their wedding at a Brooklyn Cyclones home game. Flowers are covered by 1800Flowers, cake by Grandma's Secrets in Harlem, Diageo will create a special wedding drink, and more. Caroline Fisher, a radio station sales manager marrying marketing consultant Dave Kerpen, told Ad Age, "It was an idea that both met our needs......

Newsday reports that in Hillary Clinton's ongoing efforts to appeal to the state she represents in the Senate - and the rest of the country - she made it very clear that she was never, ever, ever a Mets fan. In fact, she said, "I cannot let stand that I have ever, ever been a Mets fan: Let's set the record straight. The Cubs and the Yankees -- those were my teams and remained my......

For a few million dollars, you could be the majority owner of the Yankees. And you wouldn't really have to deal with a pesky owner too much. Why? Because you would be the proud owner of the Staten Island Yankees in the New York-Penn League. Unlike the big club in The Bronx, you could actually say you were champions last year though. The team is reportedly on the market for $3-5 million for a the......

George Steinbrenner must be happy because the Yankees are champions again. Ok, it’s the Staten Island Yankees, but for a guy who cares how his team finishes at every level of his organization, he must have enjoyed this game. Staten Island won 3-2 over Auburn in dramatic fashion when Reggie Corona singled home Joe Burke with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. They had tied the score in the eighth inning on another......

We were very tired, we were very merry­ We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry; And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear, From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere; And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold, And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold. - from Recuerdo by Edna St. Vincent Millay New York, as you know, is chock full of......

Growing up in New York, Gothamist was limited to only two baseball options, the Yankees and the Mets, but in recent years, baseball has bloomed in the big city. Two more options are available for baseball fans in the single A affiliates of the Yankees and the Mets - the Staten Island Yankees and the Brooklyn Cyclones. The Cyclones returned baseball to Brooklyn in 2001 after a 44-year absence when the Dodgers moved to......

Over the weekend, Gothamist took a trip south and checked out the AAA Mets affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. There's nothing quite like taking in a minor league double header. Things are cheaper, you can get nice and close, and it's a fan friendly environment. It's possible that Gothamist even indulged in too much food. On the night Gothamist went, former Mets pitcher, Jae Seo pitched started the first game, but did not pick up......

Tonight, the Brooklyn Cyclones take the field at Keyspan Park for their home opener in the New York-Penn League. The Cyclones (2-2) started the season on Friday night, playing the Williamsport Crosscutters. Tonight, they play the Hudson Valley Renegades. Can you tell that Gothamist can't get enough of these minor league team names? This is the fourth season for the Cyclones, who are a Class A minor league affiliate of the Mets. Players on......